


Feast of the Dead

by Cornerofmadness



Category: Angel The Series, Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-20
Updated: 2018-12-20
Packaged: 2019-09-23 18:34:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,416
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17085533
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cornerofmadness/pseuds/Cornerofmadness
Summary: Buffy is fairly sure they're facing one of the grossest demons ever.





	Feast of the Dead

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Shadowcat](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shadowcat/gifts).



> **Disclaimer** \-- Whedon owns all
> 
>  **Timeline** \-- post series
> 
>  **Pairings** Angel/Buffy/Spike and mentions of Faith/Connor/Dawn
> 
>  **Warning** \-- none
> 
>  
> 
>  **Author’s Note** written for fandom_stocking’s 2018 edition and written for shadowcat. Happy Holidays.

XXX

She dreamed that her time stalking a cemetery would be in her past now that she was on the high side of thirty, and there were all those Slayers now created by her and Willow's hands to help divide up the duties. Once a Slayer always a Slayer it seemed. She hadn't even expected to find herself back in Southern California but here she was wandering the uneven ground of a graveyard in the heart of L.A.'s Filipino community. At least she didn't surveil it alone. Somewhere to the east was Faith and her Special Ops Watcher boy toy who had damn well better be working.

Buffy smiled faintly. She had no room to talk about stealing an at work-kiss. Had she done any less over the years? She'd sneak one now if Spike or Angel crossed her path but her men were off to the west of this damn cemetery. Her smile grew at the thought of the one thing Faith actually ever approved whole heartedly of Buffy doing was when Buffy had decided to not make a choice when she obviously loved them both. Other than Xander who had been a bit old-fashioned about it, her friends were fine with polyamory. Of course, it had taken watching her artist hippie chick Watcher of a sister share their blue-eyed boy with Faith in their own very happy threesome. She didn't know what had taken her so long since she knew Angel and Spike weren't strangers to sharing.

If only they didn't snark at each other ridiculously. It was the reason she had sent them off to the west. Earlier they had resurrected their infamous cave man vs astronaut argument, which they did at least once a year, mostly - she suspected - just to annoy everyone when things got too slow for their tastes.

It wasn't boring now. Amihan, a witch that was very Watcher friendly, had given them the heads up about this cemetery, how freshly buried bodies were being torn from their graves and left gnawed on. That alone told Buffy this was going to be gross but so far, the night had been empty and quiet. Of course, there hadn't been a fresh burial within a week so that might have something to do with it.

Her cell vibrated against her hip and she pulled it free, putting her back to a palm tree. It wasn't a great defense but it would do. The text was from Spike saying he and Angel were calling it a night since they would have less than an hour to get home before dawn. Did she want to go with them or with Faith. She texted Faith and said they were going back. They had done all they could do.

XXX

Buffy had slept til noon, half buried by limbs. Her room had a heavenly king-sized bed but Angel and Spike both had their own rooms as well for the times they needed some alone time or she exiled them for her own solitude. This morning hadn't been one of those times but she slipped out of bed, leaving them there, still dead to the world, no pun intended. They'd wake soon enough. 

After dressing, she went downstairs to the kitchen. The house was large, old, something Angel and Spike both felt at home in; well Angel more than Spike who seemed to care less about where he crashed. She wasn't surprised to see Dawn in the dining room going over the books. Dawn’s trio lived on the third floor. Willow and her wife lived a few doors down and Xander across the street. Buffy had to say she preferred the Victorian manor to the idea of them all sharing a converted warehouse, an idea they had considered to help save money. This was homier.

Dawn smiled at her over a mug of tea. "Breakfast is in the kitchen."

"Good I'm starving." She eyed her sister. "Yours?"

Dawn curled her lip at Buffy. "I'm not _that_ bad of a cook," she replied unconvincingly. Buffy had eaten Dawn-cooked meals. "And no."

Buffy walked into the kitchen to find Dawn's man working the griddle. Connor, in all the years she had known him, still looked like he never ate a damn thing but part of his upgraded memories thanks to evil lawyers r us included some chef level stuff, which was great because while Angel would do eggs from time to time, Spike didn't know what end of a spatula was up. Neither did Faith and Dawn's experiments were terrifying. Buffy tried but she was average as best. She was shocked Connor hadn't found himself chained to the kitchen. 

He inclined his head to a big measuring cup on the counter. "Strawberry lemon poppyseed pancake batter. Help yourself."

"Thanks. You and Faith didn't see anything once your father and I took off?"

Connor shook his head. "No, but Dawn and Amihan have some thoughts."

"Hold that thought," she said.

He shrugged, flipped a pat of butter onto the griddle for her and retreated to the dining room with his own plate of pancakes. Feeling lazy, she wished she could have talked him into making them for her. Hers never came out quite as she'd hope. Buffy poured some batter on the griddle and it spread all over. Great, she'd have a singular pancake the size of plate.

Hearing someone behind her, Buffy turned. Angel smiled at her before opening the fridge. After prepping some blood for to microwave, he slipped his arms around her, pulling her in for a kiss.

"Didn't mean to wake you."

He shrugged. "It's time to get up. It's the other one that's a slug."

She snorted. "I'm aware." She struggled to flip the pancake. It broke into two.

Angel eyed it critically. "I don't think that's right."

"No kidding. I'm thinking of retiring your brat from the field and assigning him to permanent kitchen duty."

Angel laughed. "He'd revolt."

"No doubt." 

Angel waited with her until she got the pancake at least cooked, if messy. Neither Spike nor Faith had drifted down by the time she and Angel sat down at the table. 

Connor narrowed his eyes. "You!" He stabbed a finger at his father. "You and Spike need to keep your disgusting blood mugs out of the general mug population. Damn near drank coffee from one of them."

Angel raised an eyebrow, and Buffy hoped this day wouldn't begin with her knocking their heads together because she was tired of that. "Me? The neat nick? Talk to Spike."

"He is the slob but I'm telling both of you. Next time someone is dust."

Angel snorted.

Dawn pushed Connor's fork down into the pancake pile. "Eat. So, we think we're dealing with a Bal-Bal," she said before anyone had to die. 

"I've never heard of one of those," Buffy said.

"Oh, I have. They're disgusting." Angel perked up.

"Didn't we see one in China?" Spike asked, staggering down the stairs, his hair sticking up all over. 

"Yes. They're from the Philippines but they've migrated all over Asia from what I've heard," Angel said.

"They seem to have made it here, not surprising with the large Filipino population in the area," Dawn added. 

"So what are these things?" Buffy asked.

"They eat nothing but corpses. They don't kill normally, at least not that I can find but they are all about eating dead people," Dawn said. 

"Yeah, kinda wishing we waited until after breakfast for this," Buffy said but ate a mouthful in spite of it. At this point she was pretty inured to grossness. "So how do we take them out?"

"They seem pretty vulnerable to our usual sharp objects," Connor said.

"And I was talking with Amihan. It seems likely there's only one with how few bodies that have been eaten," Dawn said. "She texted over a list of funeral homes in the area that have a body in residence. Bal-Bals are happy to steal them from there too."

"Then we'll have to decide who's staking out where," Buffy said. "But first, pancakes. These are yummy. Thanks, Connor."

"No problem. And if it's all the same, I'd rather not do the funeral home. I'd prefer the cemetery."

She nodded. Connor didn't do well with some things, families in mourning topped the list. "No problem." She hoped the thoughts of it wouldn't put him down a rabbit hole. He seemed okay as he polished off his breakfast but Buffy knew Angel was watching him closely. That would make deciding who went with whole a bit easier if it came down to it but she was content to let it lie until after breakfast.

XXX

Buffy wasn't sure there were too many things creepier than sitting in an empty funeral home with a body. Granted it was something she had done too many times to count with those they weren't certain might rise. Amihan hadn't been kidding when she said this was a busy funeral home. There were four separate viewings going on, and the family members should have been asleep upstairs. Buffy didn't think she'd have much trouble with being part of a family that had a funeral director in it but would not be able to sleep above where they worked. As it was Amihan had smoothed the way for her, Spike, and Angel to guard the bodies, not that much smoothing had been necessary. This home catered to the Filipino community and everyone was convinced a Bal-Bal was in the area. In fact, the family had cleared out and went to a hotel to sleep. That left her, Spike, and Angel in three separate rooms, each taking a turn through the fourth. Connor and Faith had taken the cemetery with magical backup from Dawn.

Backside numb from sitting so long, Buffy stood and stretched. Hearing a noise outside, she stalked out there, her hand on what amounted to a machete. All she found was Spike in a rocking chair on the porch, lighting up. She rolled her eyes at him, and then dropped into a chair next to him. It seemed almost ludicrous, the two of them rocking in chairs on a porch like an old married couple.

Spike blew out a ribbon of smoke. "This is boring as hell."

"No argument." She glanced over her shoulder. "Angel's still at it."

"He has more patience than me."

"Probably from putting up with you all these years."

Spike snorted, smoke billowing out like a dragon. "I put him in good stead for dealing with his brat."

"How lucky for Angel," she replied dryly, though Spike had a point. Connor, much like Spike, could be an ass when he put his mind to it.

He leaned over the arms of their chairs and kissed her. "You just don't know the joy of Angel baiting."

Buffy pushed him back gently. There were times she wanted to dunk them both in holy water and kill Connor for good measure and pray there was enough demon in him for him to dissolve or dust or something equally convenient. "And you call Connor a brat. I just warned him no making out in the cemetery."

"Eh, he'll only do that with Faith. You have noticed that he's all hearts and flowers with your sister and with Faith, well, let's just call it more athletic."

Perverted was the word she'd use, lucky Faith. Not that her men weren't any less inventive and wonderful but if she thought about that now, nothing much would get done tonight. "I noticed. All right, I'm going back in. You'd better do the same."

"Soon as I'm done." He held up the cigarette.

She nodded, figuring he could watch the perimeter from out here. She checked the room they were sharing responsibility for and saw Angel there. He smiled at her.

"All quiet," he said. "I texted Connor but it's just as quiet there."

"Are we wrong about this?"

He shrugged. "Possibly. There are other things that eat corpses."

Buffy shuddered, then looked at the ceiling hearing something on the roof. "Raccoons?"

"Wishful thinking." Angel pulled out a large knife just as the front door banged open.

Spike barged in. "Something big just went into the chimney."

"The main lobby then," Angel replied.

They raced in just in time to see a thin, greenish creature pulling itself out of the fireplace. Bald and naked with a short tail and claws nearly as long as its fingers, it hissed at them then something unfurled from its mouth. Foul, dead body odor billowed along the path of the appendage as it moved.

The longest tongue Buffy had ever seen lashed out, wrapping around Spike's neck. It hauled Spike towards its maul. Buffy brought her machete down with all her strength, her arms aching as the weapon nearly bounced off the appendage. A thick ichor oozed, and the tongue let Spike go. Buffy pressed her attack, knowing Spike would be fine. You couldn't exactly strangle a vampire, and it obviously hadn't snapped Spike's neck.

The Bal-Bal leapt at her, flesh flapping out under its arms. It soared up toward the fifteen-foot ceiling. It divebombed her, and Angel pinioned it on his blade, barely able to hold it still. Buffy brought her machete down on its neck but didn't get all the way through. Its claws raked at her but she jumped back before it scored a direct hit. Spike put himself between her and its questing tongue, giving her time to finish it off. At least it had the decency to turn into a corpse reeking green powder. Angel went to find a vacuum while she checked Spike's neck.

"Looks okay," she said, seeing some abrasions. "Must have had a tongue like sand paper."

"Large grit," he agreed. "Did it tag you?"

"No, I'm fine. Did you see only one out there?"

Spike nodded. "Yeah, bloody hell, that was disgusting."

"At least it's over." She hoped.

XXX

Buffy had taken an extra hot shower once they had gotten home. Even though there were still hours in the night, she crawled into bed between the two of them. Spike was watching football on TV while Angel read. Upstairs she could hear things she didn't want to hear. Angel reached over her and turned up the sound on Spike's remote.

"It would just be easier if we made noise of our own," Spike said, and Angel grinned.

Buffy took each of their hands. "Best idea all night."


End file.
